Car-coupling



(No Model.)

T}. SGHWEITZER.

01m COUPLING.

Patented June 14, 1887.

' of the car.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS SOHVVEITZER, OF SPRING GROVE, PENNSYLVANIA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 364,679, dated June 14,1887.

Application filed April 2, 1887. Serial No. 233,437. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom it may cancer Be it known that I, THOMAS Sonwnrrznn, ofSpring Grove, in the county of Lancaster and State of Pennsylvania, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in (lar- Oouplers, of whichthe following is a specification.

My invention relates to car-couplings; and it consists in a novelconstruction and arrangement of the'coupling-hook and the devices foroperating and locking the same.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved coupler,the floor of the car being broken away; Fig. 2, a side view,

but from the opposite side; Fig. 3, a bottom plan View, and Figs. 4 and5 views illustrating certain details.

A indicates a car, or the portion thereof to which the coupler issecured; and B, the draw-bar. This draw-bar is pivoted at its rear orinner end upon a vertical pin or bolt, a, which passes through saiddraw-bar, and through a bracket, b, bolted to-the under face Projectingfrom each side of bracket 1) forwardly is an arm, 0, through which pinsor stems d, secured upon opposite sides of the draw-bar, pass, as shownin Fig. 3, the said stems (I being encircled by spiral springs 6,hearing at opposite ends against the draw-bar and the arms. Thisconstruction permits the draw-bar to swing laterally or horizontallyupon the pivot-bolt a in going around curves or when the couplinghooksof two cars meet. These springs 0 should be stiff enough to keep thedraw-bar straight until defie'cted laterally, for purposes justdescribed. A loop or guide, f, passes about the draw-bar, and is boltedor otherwise affixed to the car, as shown in Fig. 3.

Gindicates the coupling-hook, pivoted by means of a bolt, 9, to theforward end of the draw-bar, said hook being provided with a plate ortail, D, which is pivoted to the hook that the hook is swung laterallyupon its pivot 9. Upon reference to Figs. 3 and 4 it will be seen thatthe vertical shaft E is provided with a cranked portion, 1', which ispassed through an eye, j, upon the inner face of the plate or tail, andit is apparent that as said shaft is rotated in one or the otherdirection the plate will move toward or from the draw-bar, and at thesame time will have a slight longitudinal movement relative to thelatter.

As the hook G is incapable of moving lengthwise or longitudinally, theplate D, pivotally connected therewith by means of the bolt h, willcause the hook G to swing laterally with relation to the draw-bar uponthe pivot-bolt g, in order that the hook may engage the hook of anothercar.

After the cars are coupled and the shaft E turned or rotated to bringthe plate up close to the draw-bar, the pivotal points it, y, and E willbe found to be approximately in the same straight line, and while thehook will be held rigidly against lateral movement in one direction, itmight swing to the other side and uncouple. In order to obviate this Iprovide a locking device,whieh will be seen to comprise a slidinglatch'or bolt, F, which passes through a lug, is, projecting from theside of the drawbar, and engages the inner end of the plate or tail, asshown in Fig. 4. This sliding latch or bolt has one end beveled, whileits other end is socketed to receive and slide upon an arm, Z,projecting forwardly from a lug, m, 011 the side of the draw-bar, aspiral spring, a, encircling the arm Z, and hearing at opposite ends andto lie close up to the draw-bar the spring n will force the latchoutward again, and thereby lock the plate, and consequently the hook, inposition. I

The shaft E, hereinheforc referred to, is extended upward above theplatform of the car and furnished with a hand-wheel, G, and at its lowerend it is formed with a lateral hori zontal arm, 0, to which isconnected a rod, H, extending out beyond the side of the. car. From thisconstruction it will be seen that the hook C may be operated both fromabove and at the side, and of course it is necessary that thelatch-releasing mechanism may also be operated from both points.

Upon the under face of the draw-bar is an arm or bracket, 1), to whichis pivoted an elbow-lever, I. (Shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3.) The verticalarm q of the lever engages with the front face of a lug, r, projectingfrom the side of the latch F through the draw-bar, while the horizontalarm is provided with-a cord or connection, S, which extends upward inreach of the operator, as shown in Fig. 1. By pulling upward upon thecord or connection S the lever I will be rocked, and the arm q thereof,engaging with lug 1', will push the bolt F backward and disengage itfrom the plate D, so that the latter may be swung outward, and as soonas thus released the shaft E should be rotated, so as to swing saidplate away from the drawbar. The connection S may be a chain or band,and arranged in any suitable manner to prevent it from falling.

In order to operate the latch from the side, I employ a rod, J,connected at its inner end to one arm of an elbow-lever, K, pivoted tothe draw-bar B, or to an arm or bracket thereof, the other arm of thelever engaging with a depending lug, L, projecting from the under sideof the latch, as shown in Fig. 3. As the rod J is pulled outward theshort arm of the lever K is swung backward and moves or retracts thebolt F, and allows the plate D to be swung out by either of the meansdescribed.

Rods H and J will be provided with handholds, and will be supported attheir outer ends in a bracket, M, secured to the under side of the car.

It is obvious that the hand-wheel G may be omittedand only the rod Hused, or vice versa.

In order that the plate or tail E may lie close against the draw-bar,the latter is slotted or recessed to receive the eye j on the plate, asshown in Fig. 1.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In combinationwith a car, a bracket, 1), secured thereto and provided withforwardlyextcuding arms 0, perforated and separated a distance, asshown, a drawbar, B, pivoted at its rear end to the bracket and providedwith lateral stems d, and springs c, interposed between the draw-bar andarms a and encircling the stems.

2. In combination with a car, A, a drawbar, B, secured thereto, alaterally-swinging hook, O, secured to said draw-bar, a plate or tail,D, connected with the hook, and a crankshaft, E, or its equivalent,journaled in the draw-bar and connected with the plate.

3. In combination with a car, a draw-bar, B, a hook, 0, provided with aplate or tail, D,

a crank-shaft, E, journaled in the draw-bar and connected with theplate, and a locking device for said plate, all substantially as shownand described.

4'. In combination with a car, a draw-bar, B, a hook, O, pivoted theretoby means of a bolt, g, a plate, D, pivoted to said hook by means of abolt, h, in advance of bolt 9, and a shaft, E, journaled in the draw-barand connected with the plate.

5. In combination with draw-bar B and pivoted hook C, tail or plate D,acrank-shaft, E, j on rnaled in the draw-bar, connected with the plateD, and extended upward and provided with a hand-wheel, G.

6. In combination with draw-bar B, hook 0, plate D, and shaft E,constructed and arranged substantially as shown, a sliding latch orbolt, F, an elbow-lever, I, for operating the latch, and a connection,S, extending from lever I upward to the platform of the car, allsubstantially as shown.

7. In combination with draw-bar B, hook O, plate D, and crank-shaft E, asliding latch or bolt, F, provided with a lug, 1*, an elbowlever, I,pivoted to the draw-bar and engaging the lug r, and a cord orconnection, S, secured to the free end of lever I and extending upwardwithin reach of the operator.

8. In combination with draw-bar B, hook O, and plate D, a cranked shaft,E, connecting the plate and the draw-bar and provided with an arm, 0,and a rod, H, connected to the arm 0 and extending out beyond the sideof the car, all substantially as shown.

9. In combination with draw-bar B, hook C, and plate D, cranked shaft E,connecting the plate and draw-bar and provided with an arm, 0, a rod, H,connected to the latter and extending out beyond the side of the car,and a locking device applied to the draw-bar to lock the plate inposition.

10. In combination with draw-bar B, hook O, and plate D, cranked shaftE, a rod, H, for operating the same, a sliding latch, F, provided withalug, L, an elbow-lever, K, e11- gaging therewith, and a rod, J,connected with the elbow-lever and extending outward by the rod H, allsubstantially as shown.

11. In combination with draw-bar B, hook C, and plate D, a crankshaft,E, journaled in the draw-bar and connected with the plate, a hand-wheel,G, secured to an upward extension of the shaft, a rod, H, connected tothe shaft and extending outward toward the side of the car, a latch, F,mounted in the drawbar and adapted to lock the plate to the latter, andlatch-releasing mechanisms in proximity to the hand-wheel G and to therod H.

12. In combination with draw-bar B, pivoted hook C, and plate D, acranked shaft, E, journaled in the draw-bar and connected to the plate,and provided with operating devices G and H, a sliding latch, F,provided with lugs r and L, elbow-levers I and K, and operating devicesS and J, connected with the levers I K, and extending, respectively, up-

ward and outward in proximity to the shaftoperating devices G and H.

13. In combination with draw-bar B, piv- 5 oted hook O, and plate D, acranked shaft; E,

jonrnaled in the draw-bar and connected with the plate, a locking devicefor securing the plate to the draw-bar, comprising a sliding latch, F,having abeveled nose, a fixed lug, 10 m, a stem, Z, and a spring, 12,encircling the stem and bearing at opposite ends against the,

lug and the latch.

14. In combination with draw-bar B, hook O, pivoted to the draw-bar andprovided with a plate, as D, a cranked shaft, E, connected 15 with'plate D, a locking device for said plate, and means for operating theshaft and releasing the locking device from the platforn1,a11d also fromthe side ofthe car.

In witness whereof I hereunto set my hand 20 in the presence of twowitnesses.

THOMAS sonwnrrzna.

Witnesses:

, JOHN H. STAUFFER,

H. B. BECKER.

